History

The beggining of La Quadrature du Net

In March 2008, in reaction to a disturbing wave of legislative proposals and policies, five activists who had met during the fight against the DADVSI Law, against software patents and for the promotion of the commons, decided to form a collective to carry the values of the free Internet in front of financial and securitarian assaults.

The founders of the collective La Quadrature du Net in 2008 are:

  • Christophe Espern
  • Jérémie Zimmermann
  • Philippe Aigrain
  • Gérald Sédrati-Dinet
  • Benjamin Sonntag

The association La Quadrature du Net

In 2013, members of the collective decided to make La Quadrature a declared association, composed of nine founding members :

  • Philippe Aigrain, computer scientist, essayist and poet. He is the author of Sharing: Culture and the Economy in the Internet Age.
  • Benjamin Bayart, engineer, former president of FDN and co-president of FFDN.
  • Laurent Chemla, historical founder of the GANDI register, pioneer of actions for digital freedoms, and who carries today essential projects for the autonomy of digital users, such as the messaging software, Caliopen.
  • Lionel Maurel, librarian at the BDIC (Library of Contemporary International Documentation) and co-founder of the initiative Savoirs Com1.
  • Gérald Sédrati-Dinet, computer engineer.
  • Yoann Spicher, previousy a permanent member in charge of campaigns, currently a PhD student at Paris VIII preparing a thesis on the politisation of technical issues at the digital age.
  • Benjamin Sonntag, engineer, manager of hosting Linux company, independant Internet provider, and developer of a few free (libre) softwares.
  • Félix Tréguer, previously a permanent member in charge of legal experise, PhD in political science at EHESS and reasearch assistant at the CERI, specialised in the freedom of expression and surveillance.
  • Jérémie Zimmerman, former spokerperson of the association, previously consulting-engineer in collaborative technologies.

    • With the help of figures known for their expertise, founding members have composed, between 2017 and 2018, the strategic orientation council, whose mission was to define the axes of work of La Quadrature du Net and to take the decisions necessary to its functioning.

    The Opening of La Quadrature du Net

    In 2018, La Quadrature du Net has acted the opening of its first circle to around thirty new members. They are activists who have been working on our side for a long time or people of trust whose expertise can help us to better fulfill our missions, and who will be invited to participate to the strategic thinking and actions of the associations. In this way, we will be able to diversify the contributions, enrich our reflexion of a larger diversity of experiences and points of view, and thus create the conditions to a better defense of our liberties in the digital age !
    The beggining of a new story…